Treatment of ores and the like.



. in; tons converted into chlorids.

James NICHOLAS,

TREATMENT 35 T0 (0U whom, it may conhefn:

Be it known that I, J arms NionoLasi manufacturing chemist, a subject of the King of Great Britaim'residing at 14- Church we l Vat rloo county of Lancaster, England, have invented certain new and useiullmprovements in the Treatment of @res and the Like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the treatment of ores, niattes, scorial slimes, slags, tailings, and all like material containing Zinc, whethe alone or in association with cadmium, lead. silrer, or gold, the object being to recover the metallic contents of the ore or other material treated by this invention in more expeditious, a more economic, and i a more complete manner than has hitherto been found practicable and to recover the metal or mete-ls contained in such ores'or other material separate and practically pure.

The invention consists in exposing iii pulverulent condition the ore mixed with water to a pasty condition and with a chlorid, preferably SO ium chlorid, in an oven, muf the like to the action of heat, where constituents of the ore are broken up, 0 orzinc and cadmium compounds be- Air, must be excluded during this operation. The quantity of chlorid should be somewhat more than the theoretical amount required, and the heating is continued until the wholeoi the zinc or zinc and cadmium in the ore or material is converted into the chiorid conditions- After such the ma in the oven drawn out and leached with water. to dissolve out the zinc chlorid and the cadmium chlorid contained in it; if the solution so obtained contair inc chiorid only, then the zinc may pitatcd by milk of lime as zinc oxid.

by his the em ohould the solution contain cadmium as well as zinc, then the cadmium may he obtained from it by being precipitated as sulfid by sull'urcted l'iydrogen prior to the'precioitation of the zinc ogiid, as previously alluded to. The zinc oxid arid the cadmium suliid may be reduced to metallic condition liyany well-known method. Should the residue of the leached mass contain lead or lead and silver or lead and silver and gold, this residue is mixed with liux or fluxes to suit its gangue and lluxcd in a furnace.

chloridization has been eilected Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed lllcy 27, 1905. Serial No. 262,556.

ATERLOO, ENGLAND.

ES AME) THE Lil-(E.

Patented Nov. 28. 1966.

Should the metal so obtained contain sliver .or gold, or both, then the metal is remelted, and when in a molten condition aluminium is introduced into it and the whole kept in agitation and the heat raised'until the aluminium melts and becomes alloyed with any precious metal or metals which may have been cohtained in thelcad. \Vhen this hasbeen accomplished, agitation isstopped and the temperatureis allowed to fall, when thealurniniurn will separate from and rise as a crust to the surface of the lead, carrying with it in association any precious metal or' metals which were present in the metal or lead tluxed outof the residue. The quantity of aluminium to be added will vary according to the weight of the precious metal contained in the lead. It isuscd in excess of their relative atomic weights. The lead may now be run into pig and the aluminium crust which has been skimmed oil broken up by hydrochloric acid and the precious metal or metals it had abstracted recovered in a form easy of reduction to metallic condition.

vVhat I claim is- 1. The treatment of materials containing zinc, by mixing the pulverized materials with we. er, and with a chlorid, and then heating the mixture with the exclusion of air.

2. The treatment of materials containing zinc, by mixing the pulverized materials with water, and with a chlorid, and then heating the mixture with the exclusion of air, leaching this so-trcated mixture with water, and treating the solution obtained to recover zinc.

3. The treatment of materials containing zinc, by mixing the pulverized materials with water, and with a chlorid, anihthen heating thcniixture, leaching this so-trcatcd mixture with water, and rediicing the metallic compounds contained in the leached residue to a, 

